You, me and Icarus

And we're burnt!

Guess which one is me.

Yes, we were wearing sunscreen.
Yes, we were using SPF 55.
Yes, we re-applied.
No, I guess we didn't apply often enough. We also made the mistake of using the spray on sunscreen without rubbing it on afterwards, leaving us with extremely splotchy burns. We're hoping they will turn into tans though.
Yes, it is painful.

After the first day.

Amanda was smart enough to pack a bottle of aloe lotion and hopefully we won't run out because a simple bottle of sunscreen costs 2500 French Polynesian francs - about $30 CDN! Everything here is pretty outrageously priced. I guess it is because they have to ship it to the middle of nowhere. Then again, isn't the South Pacific closser to China than we are back home? Regardless, we're just glad breakfast is included.

The hat was to protect my shiny red nose and burnt head.

The view at breakfast.

Given the burns, we spent most of today covered up and just enjoying the view at breakfast or from our room.

Trying not to burn by looking cool.

Amanda's two loves.

So this is paradise...

We woke up at 5:15 this morning. I think it's the first time I've been up this early out of my own volition. We can't see the sun yet but can tell that night is fading. The first, and even the second, time Amanda and I went to Hawaii we were surprised and annoyed by all the wild roosters (scattered among the islands by storms). The ones we hear in the distance now are unobtrusive, even oddly familiar.

Panoramic view from our balcony at sunrise.

This was our first sunrise in paradise and we didn't know what to expect. I can tell you that there is no burning globe that emerges from the horizon. It was more like when your eyes get used to the dark and you begin to see light where it wasn't before. I love impressionist art, but it wasn't until this morning that I "got" Monet (even if the camera couldn't).

Orange and pinks at sunrise.

The rest of the day goes by like a blur. I ran 2 km in the morning, we went to the gym and did some P90x inspired Vinyasa flow yoga. Rinsed off after yoga by jumping in the ocean followed by shower number one.

The gym at the Hilton Moorea.

Breakfast was a shameful display of gluttony. French Polynesia = French pastries! Baguettes, croissants, chocolatines, warm brioches, cinnamon roles, fresh doughnuts, coconut cakes, danishes, muffins and more. Good thing we went to the gym. Amanda and I spent the next two hours with Will Shortz gorging ourselves, sipping on coffee (earl grey tea for me) and matching wits on a Thursday crossword puzzle.

Crosswurdz r fun.

After breakfast we went snorkeling. All the resorts provide equipment but we decided to bring our own masks that we bought the day before we left from Costco. Why the Costco in Montreal was selling snorkeling equipment at the end of January is beyond me, but we are glad it was. Shower number two rinses off the salt water.

Amanda snorkeling around our bungalow.

A couple hours of sunbathing, a nap and shower number three later we check the clock to see how much sunlight we have left in the day. It's only 1:30pm! Unbelievable. Is this what it is like to be an old person? Maybe tomorrow we will find a mall and do some laps.

Despite having been up for 8 hours, lunch is out of the question. It's almost 6pm now and we are thinking we will just share an entree for dinner. Surprising considering that we spent the afternoon in a two-person kayak, exploring the lagoon. Maybe we ate too much at breakfast, but then what is a honeymoon without eating delicious food until you are so bloated that you want to puke?

Lastly, words really can't describe this idyllic island and amazing resort. We were lucky enough to get upgraded to the furthest bungalow on the pontoon (thanks Mitra) so we have some more privacy and an excellent view. Every time we walk around or look out the window it seems surreal.

Just watch the video.

YUL->IAD->LAX->PPT->MOZ

I hate airport security!
Sir, please take of your left shoe. I'm sorry, my left shoe? Yes sir, please take off your left shoe. Well this seems a little stran - Sir, all passengers are required to remove their left shoe. And the right shoe? Only the left one sir. This way sir. Beep. Sir, it seems you've been randomly selected for a physical search.
Turns out the game Counter Strike was prophetic: "Terrorists Win"

Anyway, 4 flights, 2 customs clearances, 11078 kilometers, 26 hours and a lei greeting later we finally arrived.

The last flight was a 5 minute island-hopper and despite the warning signs (actual photo from the plane), we were still sitting on the edge of our seats with excitement.

So excited.

It's 12:50am a full day before we leave on our honeymoon. I'm at the lab finishing up some analyses so I can leave my supervisors with something on their desks while I am gone. I'm not even sure they know that I am leaving. I switch back and forth between my code and my browser which has a tab permanently opened on tripadvisor. I've never been this excited for a trip before in my life.
We are going to French Polynesia for our honeymoon; specifically, we are staying 5 nights at the Hilton Moorea and then 5 nights at the St.Regis on Bora Bora. We will be in over-water bungalows at both locations, and my many hours on tripadvisor have assured me that it is going to be awesome.

By some miracle I am already packed. My standard pre-departure routine is figuring out when my flight is, budgeting 45 minutes for airport security, another 35 to get to the airport, and then I will add about an hour. That's when I start to pack. Of course time evaporates as I'm packing, every article of clothing I own ends up on the bed, the house is a mess, we are late, then we start our sweat inducing race to catch the bus or we are so late that we have to take a taxi and we just pray that there is no traffic.
You would think this time would be different, but then you must have never met a woman. Amanda is the only person more last minute than me. Maybe that's why we are so awesome together.
The phone is ringing. It's Amanda. I am being summoned to bed.